El Salvador: Stuck in Cecot, one of the world's toughest jails despite judges' orders

José Duval Mata's family has not heard from him since he was swept up in El Salvador's gang crackdown.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersStuck in one of the world's toughest jails - against judges' ordersNatalia AlbertoJosé Duval Mata's mother, Marcela Alvarado, has not heard from him since he was detained more than two years agoIf he is still alive, José Duval Mata is trapped in a living nightmare.

For more than two years, the 26-year-old tractor driver has been in prison in El Salvador, accused of “gang association”, even though the country’s legal system has twice ordered his immediate release.

Despite two judges’ clearly worded decisions in his favour, Mr Mata still languishes inside one of the toughest prisons in the world: El Salvador’s notorious Cecot, a super-max facility for the “confinement of terrorists”.

The BBC has repeatedly brought the case to the attention of the Salvadorean government – including directly to the public prosecutor’s office, the security ministry, the vice-president, and President Nayib Bukele himself earlier this year.

Despite several assurances the authorities would investigate, no action has been taken to date.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wjk00dj5ro

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